Our world and our students' worlds are so different.
I needed to teach a lesson on puns to my Form IIIs. My sister occasionally sends comic strips she cuts out from the newspaper. I had saved several of them thinking I could use them as a teaching aid.
I started the lesson with the definition of a pun and gave a few examples:
* A backward poet writes inverse.
* She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off.
* With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
* A pessimist's blood type is b-negative.
As English is the girls' third or even fourth language, we spend a lot of time clarifying meanings of words. The dictionary is our best friend.
Then I decided to use one of those comic strips from my sister. It showed a teenager walking around holding an avocado for about six frames. In the last frame he goes into the dining room where his parents are seated. He asks, "How much longer do I have to hold the guacamole?" His dad says to his wife, "Never send Norman to make a taco."
Do you know how long it took to explain American culture so they could appreciate the humour? I needed to tell them what a taco is, what guacamole is, how to make it, how to eat it, even what "hold the _____" means. About five minutes into the explanation I wondered why I had ever started. However, the girls loved the lesson. As I was leaving class that day one of them said, "That was a fun lesson."
During my research on puns I discovered a website that has a pun a day. I think we'll start lessons for the next week or so with a pun. What a great way to encourage vocabulary and critical thinking.
A funny side note - the girls made me reexplain how to make guacamole so they could write down the recipe. Some of them even jotted down what is in a taco. I wonder how many of them are going to try them over December holiday?
Friday, October 28, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Lorugum Confirmation
John O'Donoghue and I had the opportunity to travel with a media team from Maryknoll to Lodwar. The media team was made up of three people all photographers and two of them produce a radio show, Voices of the World, for the Maryknoll Society (Fathers). They came to Kenya to focus on the ministries of the MK Fathers, Sisters, Lay Missioners as well as the famine in Kenya. We traveled to the Lodwar dioceses because that is one of the areas that is experiencing extreme drought in Kenya.
Lodwar is located in the north western part of Kenya in an arid area receiving less than ten inches of rain a year and is considered to be a hardship area. Unless you are located next to a river which holds water year round, nothing grows there. All food and supplies must be brought in. Very few people live in this area. The tribe that does is known as the Turkana. They are pastoralists raising cattle, goats and a few camels roaming wherever they can find food and water for their animals. They are a marginalized people being so far removed from major cities adn government services. Many of their children still do not have the opportunity to go to school. Women are able to earn some income from their beautiful woven baskets and mats.
You can see one of the dry riverbeds we crossed to get to Lorugum. When it rains they have terrible flash flooding as the soil can't hold any water. It is all sand.
This is a typical Turkana home built out of brush. As they are nomadic people it doesn't need to last long.
It was an insightful and interesting trip. On Sunday we had the opportunity to travel with Bishop Dominic Kimengich to celebrate confirmation at Lorugum, one of the outstations of the diocese. Bishop Kimengich has been bishop there for less than one year so this was the first time he had visited the parish. They were thrilled and he was warmly received. Bishop Kimengich is young, energetic and seems to be deeply aware of the needs of his people. You should have heard the excitement when he danced with the women at the end of the Mass. They danced all around the church celebrating together.
The Turkana still hold on to many of their traditional ways of life because they are so far removed from the rest of the country. Missionaries didn't even come into this area until the early 1960s! I loved the bright coloured clothing and jewelry.
After Mass we enjoyed lunch with the two different groups of nuns who work in Lorugum. They run a clinic and secondary school. Later that afternoon we visited Turkana Girls' Secondary School. While we were there we met with the Form IV
(seniors) girls. They were beginning their KCSE exams on Tuesday. We had a short assembly where all addressed them for a few minutes wishing them luck. The highlight was the Bishop blessing each and every girl regardless of religious beliefs. As he said, "You are all children of God and we want what is the very best for you."
As we returned to Lodwar we were greeted by these men on their way to some sort of celebration.
Click here for additional photos of this day.
Lodwar is located in the north western part of Kenya in an arid area receiving less than ten inches of rain a year and is considered to be a hardship area. Unless you are located next to a river which holds water year round, nothing grows there. All food and supplies must be brought in. Very few people live in this area. The tribe that does is known as the Turkana. They are pastoralists raising cattle, goats and a few camels roaming wherever they can find food and water for their animals. They are a marginalized people being so far removed from major cities adn government services. Many of their children still do not have the opportunity to go to school. Women are able to earn some income from their beautiful woven baskets and mats.
You can see one of the dry riverbeds we crossed to get to Lorugum. When it rains they have terrible flash flooding as the soil can't hold any water. It is all sand.
It was an insightful and interesting trip. On Sunday we had the opportunity to travel with Bishop Dominic Kimengich to celebrate confirmation at Lorugum, one of the outstations of the diocese. Bishop Kimengich has been bishop there for less than one year so this was the first time he had visited the parish. They were thrilled and he was warmly received. Bishop Kimengich is young, energetic and seems to be deeply aware of the needs of his people. You should have heard the excitement when he danced with the women at the end of the Mass. They danced all around the church celebrating together.
The Turkana still hold on to many of their traditional ways of life because they are so far removed from the rest of the country. Missionaries didn't even come into this area until the early 1960s! I loved the bright coloured clothing and jewelry.
After Mass we enjoyed lunch with the two different groups of nuns who work in Lorugum. They run a clinic and secondary school. Later that afternoon we visited Turkana Girls' Secondary School. While we were there we met with the Form IV
As we returned to Lodwar we were greeted by these men on their way to some sort of celebration.
Click here for additional photos of this day.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Father Joe's Visit
As I’ve written before the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers are celebrating their centennial this year. As part of their celebrations, Father Joe Healy came to Kitale this weekend with two cameramen as they are making a documentary about the work Maryknoll is doing in Kenya. He spent Friday visiting our ministry sites.
Kathy was thrilled with the way things turned out for her. She is now working at St. Raphael Clinic in Matisi, a slum of Kitale. On Monday they opened a maternity ward at the hospital with a Mass by Bishop Crowley. Can you believe that on Friday morning their first baby was born. During his visit Fr. Joe was able to bless this special baby whose name is Raphael.
Nothing quite so exciting happened while he was visiting our schools. While at St. Anthony’s he was able to address the entire student body while they were still on morning parade. Fr. Joe is a real sports enthusiast so the boys were excited to have someone discuss sports. He visited John’s maths classroom and decided that he didn’t want any part of teaching high school maths but was able to tell a couple of stories.
At St. Monica’s he visited my Form I English class for a few minutes. We then went down to the playing field and sang several songs for him. Of course in Kenya, you don’t just sing you must dance. At one point even John O’Donoghue and Fr. Joe got into the act.
Sunday Maryknoll was honored during the 7:00 am Mass said by Bishop Crowley. That evening we all had a wonderful meal at Karabuni Lodge with the Bishop. It truly is an honor to be a part of the Maryknoll family.
To see more photos click here.
Kathy was thrilled with the way things turned out for her. She is now working at St. Raphael Clinic in Matisi, a slum of Kitale. On Monday they opened a maternity ward at the hospital with a Mass by Bishop Crowley. Can you believe that on Friday morning their first baby was born. During his visit Fr. Joe was able to bless this special baby whose name is Raphael.
Nothing quite so exciting happened while he was visiting our schools. While at St. Anthony’s he was able to address the entire student body while they were still on morning parade. Fr. Joe is a real sports enthusiast so the boys were excited to have someone discuss sports. He visited John’s maths classroom and decided that he didn’t want any part of teaching high school maths but was able to tell a couple of stories.
At St. Monica’s he visited my Form I English class for a few minutes. We then went down to the playing field and sang several songs for him. Of course in Kenya, you don’t just sing you must dance. At one point even John O’Donoghue and Fr. Joe got into the act.
Sunday Maryknoll was honored during the 7:00 am Mass said by Bishop Crowley. That evening we all had a wonderful meal at Karabuni Lodge with the Bishop. It truly is an honor to be a part of the Maryknoll family.
To see more photos click here.
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